Members of the EU parliamentary mission for monitoring the Kosovo elections invited all the citizens in the province to vote in the December 12 polls, and noted that they expect difficulties in northern Kosovo due to boycott of elections.

EP Rapporteur for Kosovo Ulrike Lunacek said in Brussels that all Kosovo citizens should go to polls regardless of their ethnicity. EU observers in northern Kosovo expect difficulties on the day of the elections due to the call for boycott voiced by the local authorities.

Doris Pack, head of the EU Election Observation Mission in Kosovo and a member of the EP, noted that Kosovska Mitrovica is having problems regarding the opening of the polling station.

EU observers expressed hope that Kosovo citizens will not be deceived by campaign promises. Lunacek said that she was surprised to hear that Kosovo Prime Minister Hasim Taci promised that the visa regime will be abolished within 15 months.

She pointed out that she does not have the information about the EU setting anys such date, and reminded that promises of this kind are a part of the election campaign.

According to Lunacek, Commissioner for Internal Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom and EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele will send a mission to Kosovo, together with experts from EU member countries, to make sure for the EU members that the dialogue can start.

The EP rapporteur expressed hope that the dialogue may be initiated as soon as possible, or else Kosovo citizens could turn away from the EU and get closer to more radical parties.

The main task of ensuring free and orderly elections rests with the central election institution in Kosovo, Pack said.

Commenting on the issue, Lunacek said that 4.800 local observers will be monitoring the elections, and that 134 international diplomatic teams, coordinated by EU Special Representative Pieter Feith, will join the efforts. Lunacek noted that compared to 2009, 7.000 names of deceased persons have been removed from electoral rolls, but added that not all the deceased have been erased from the voters lists.